THE VOLCANO WHICH SHOOK THE WORLD

K R A K AT O A
W H AT I S A
VOLCANO?

A volcano occurs when

underground or tectonic
disturbances occur,
pressurising magma (lava
at surface) and causing it
to escape from where the
pressure was formed.

Volcanoes pose a great

threat, due to it’s thick,
suffocating ash, poisonous
gases and hot, molten rock
to escape from it.
WHERE DOES
THIS OCCUR?

Volcanoes usually occur in

the endings of tectonic
plates, like where Hawaii
and Iceland is located.

They also occur in places

where the crust thins,
such as Hawaii, causing
lava to escape through
weak points.

Volcanoes rarely occur

when plates rub against
each other.
WHY IS IT SO
DANGEROUS?

Volcanic ash itself poses a

great danger, suffocating
people and creating new
layers of dusty, eroded soil.

Besides, it expels a huge

amount of dangerous gases,
such as CO2, SO2, HCl
(hydrogen chloride), HF
(Hydrogen fluoride).

So, it proves that a volcano

isn’t the best place to be!
I S I T O N LY
THIS
DANGEROUS?
Actually, no.

A volcanic ash, when thrown

up in the air, is hot and sticky.
When this ash comes near
turbines of a plane, it sticks to
the blades, bending and
breaking it, thus not allowing
the proper function of the
turbine.

It also causes huge climatic

changes, changes in
temperature and even
sometimes the look of the
earth.
HOW MANY
ARE THERE?

There are 1500 potentially active

volcanoes on Earth.

Many of these are present in the

Pacific Rim, or the ring of fire.

As a matter of fact, in the Pacific

ocean-bed, it estimated that
there are over 4,000 volcanoes
per million square kilometers.

The most productive volcanoes

are those which are under 4,500
feet from sea level, each spewing
over 3 miles of lava and other
materials.
W H AT I S
K R A K AT O A ?

Krakatoa is huge volcano. It

is still active, and was
recorded to be one of the
most powerful volcanoes
ever, producing more than
13,000 times more energy
than the nuclear bomb
dropped in Hiroshima.

So far, it has claimed the

lives of over 50,000 people.

It has been erupting for 183

years, and is still active.
WHEN DID
THIS ALL
BEGIN?
As mentioned before, it
started in 1883. An island
was formed by the pressure,
and in mid-1883, the
volcano burst it’s top.

This produced a massive

sound, which could be heard
more than 3000 (4600 km)
miles away.

It killed a huge number of

people before turning
dormant for another 100
years.
W H AT
HAPPENED
AFTER THIS?

This single volcano kept

on erupting for a long
time, until the lava
solidified.

Funnily, another volcanic

mountain came from the
centre of the 1883
mountain crater, again
starting the eruptions. It
was called as Anak
Krakatoa or ‘Son of
Krakatoa’.
W H AT I S
‘A N A K
K R A K AT O A’ ?
Anak Krakatoa is the
newest successor of this
monster volcano.

It is also equally strong and

very active.

It also has formed probably

one of the most active
volcanic island. It rises 14
centimetres every week,
adding up to 6.8 meters an
year.
 H O W D O W E S U RV I V E T H I S ?

After talking about all types of volcanoes, disasters,

and casualties, we come to the topic of managing
this.

There isn’t specially any way of stopping a volcano

casualties in whole, but self protection is possible.

The lava is almost unstoppable, and anything in it’s

way is bound to be burnt or melted. Thus it means
that properties in volcanic regions are very
vulnerable to destruction
 S O W H AT D O W E D O ?

According to the US Government:

• Always wear a high efficiency mask or if not cover

your mouth and nose with a cloth. Dampening the
fabric helps it’s effectivity.

• Wear goggles or covering glasses to prevent the

eyes from contact with volcanic dust.

• Close windows when there is a heavy accumulation

of ash.

These are applicable for people of all ages.

 FOR CHILDREN?

Children mainly need protection, because may not know what do, and
what not to do:

• Children are recommended not to exert themselves or run, because

this increases their breathing rate, causing them to breathe more ash.

• Small children may eat ash sometimes, but evidence suggests that
ingestion of ash is not hazardous.

• Frequent cleaning of the household interior is recommended, to

reduce the exposure to ash.

• Children should wear masks while going outdoors.

These simple instructions can ensure the survival of kids from an ash
fallout from a volcano.
C O N C LU S I O N

In this presentation, I
have written about
causes, cases and the
abundance of volcanoes.

This project is for

academic purposes as
well as awareness of the
effects of volcanoes.
 By Aditya Kannan

I X B , D E L H I P U B L I C S C H O O L B A N G A L O R E N O RT H